Butter churning means



Patented Dec. 3, 1935 PATENT OFFICE BUTTER CHURNING MEANS WilliamHamilton McCorkindale, Auckland, New Zealand, assigner to Vacu ChurnsLimited, Auckland, New Zealand, a company of New Zealand ApplicationSeptember 3, 1935, Serial No. 39,047

In New Zealand July 28, 1934 3 Claims.

This invention relates to butter churning machines of the class designedto provide for the churning and working operations being eifected undervacuum conditions through the connec- 5 tion of the churn body with anexhausted sphere.

More particularly the invention is concerned with a construction ofchurn of this kind in which the churn body is of the rotating type and yis enclosed within an airtight casing that is conl nected with airexhausting means to establish vacuum conditions therein, and in whichthe churn body is designed to be opened to the space Within such casingin order to subject its contents to the exhausting action of suchvacuum. 15: It is desirable in the churning operations that during thecommencement portion of the operation, when the cream is in a liquidstate, the churn body should be disconnected from the vacv uumV spherein order thus to obviatethe liability 20 of the cream being drawn out ofthe body by the vacuum suction, and for the vacuum connection beingestablished when the butter forming cornmences and the mass becomes moresolid, or when it is being worked in the usual manner. 25 The inventionhas been devised with the object of aiTording facilities for effectingthese operations by making provision whereby the rotating churn body maybe sealed from connection with the enclosure casing, or may be opened tomake connection with such casing. Thus with the churn sealed and thecasing not under vacuum, the preliminary churning operations may becarried out, and with the churn open and the casing under vacuumconditions by connection with the air exhausting means, the finalchurning and (or) working operations may be carried on under the vacuumconditions desired.

The invention therefore consists in a combi- 40 nation construction ofrotating churn body and enveloping casing adapted to have vacuumconditions produced therein, in which provision is made for the spacesenclosed by the churn body and by the casing being connected and discon-45 nected at will by the opening and closing of the churn body. This mayin its simplest form be effected by arranging an opening in one end ofthe casing adjacent to the side door opening of the churn body, whichopening in the casing is 50 made large enough to permit of the removaland replacement of the churn door and is provided with a removable coverfor hermetically sealing it. This will allow of the churn body beingclosed and the casing being open, or alternatively, for 55 the casingbeing closed and the churn body open,

to carry out the butter making operations in the manner described.

Or the desired results may be effected without having to stop the churnand remove the respective opening covers, by forming the churn 5 bodydoor with a number of port openings therein and fitting a valve plate onthe inside to cover the ports which valve plate is mounted on a stempiece that extends through to the outside of the door and is springcontrolled to draw the valve plate closely upon the ports. The casingcover then has a screw threaded rod tted into it in the axial alignmentof the valve stem and this is operable from without to be screwed in toforce the valve back and open the ports, or to be screwed out to permitof the valve closing on to the ports. By arranging the valve stem andthe screw in the axial line of the churn bodys rotation, thismanipulation of the valve may be effected While the churn is rotating.20

Other ways of giving effect to these operations in the churn body andenclosing casing combination may, however, be employed.

In the accompanying drawing the special provisions for effecting thepurposes of the nvention have been illustrated.

In such drawing:-

Figure l is an elevation, mainly in section, sho-wing the enclosurecasing and rotating churn body as made for giving effect to the rstdescribed method.

Figure 2 is a similar view but illustrating the second method.

In each instance a fixed cylindrical casing A is provided, this casingbeing made of such a nature as to adapt it for being exhausted of itsair contents and maintained in such condition by connection with asuitable exhausting agency. 'Ihe casing is arranged on a horizontalaxis, and within it the rotating churn body B is tted and 40 supportedon runner wheels C so that it may rotate concentrically in the casing.The rotation and the working of the churn members may be eected throughthe drive shaft D carried out through one end of the casing.

The casing A is made, at the reverse end from the drive shaft end, withan access opening E centrally disposed and this is provided with a coverplate F suitably securable upon it for sealing it hermetically.

The access door G for the churn body is arranged in the correspondingend of the body so that the usual charging and discharging of the churnmay be eifected through the casing opening Thus with such an arrangementas shown in Figure l, the churn body may be sealed by its door closure Gand the rst part of the churning carried on Without respect to theoutside conditions. Then when the final operations are required to becarried out under vacuum conditions, the door G may be removed, thecasing sealed and connected with its exhausting means, and the churnthen rotated to nish the butter making and (or) working operations withan open connection established between the churn body and the enclosedspace of the casing.

In the arrangement shown in Figure 2, thedoor closure G of the churnbody is formed with ports I-I therein disposed adjacent to its centre. Avalve stem J is mounted to extend in through the centre of the door andupon its inner end a valve plate K is fitted, which plate is adapted tocover and seal the said ports. A spring M mounted on the outer end ofthe stem acts to draw the valve plateV out on to the ports and tonormally retain it there. The cover plate F of the casing opening hasthe screw threaded rod N arranged to screw in through its centre inaxial alignment with the valve stem and this rod has a hand wheel O uponits outer end for turning it inl such plate.

'Ihe screwing in of the rod N will thus cause its end to engage the endof the valve stern J and force back the valve K, to thereby open theports H and connect the churn enclosure with the enclosure of the casingA, whilethe screwing out of the rod, will permit the spring M to act toclose the ports. Thus, when the churn body has been originally chargedwith its cream contents and the body closed and also the casing closed,the rst part of the butter making operations may be carried out with thechurn body shut off from the casing enclosure space, and the latter partand the working ofthe formed butter carried out with the body opened upto such space. With these means arranged so that the valve stem and thescrew rod are axially in line with the axis of the churn bodys rotation,the operations of the valve may be effected while 5 the said body isrotating.

I claimt- 1. A butter churn comprising an air-tight casing, a churn bodyrotatably mounted in said casing and provided with an opening in one endthereof to afford communication between the interior of the churn bodyand the interior of the casing, a valve associated with said opening, aspring urging said valve to a closed position, and a screw rod threadedthrough the corresponding end of the casing for opening said valve.

2. A butter churn comprising an air-tight casing, a churn body rotatablymounted in said casing and provided with an opening in one end thereofto afford communication between the interior of the churn body and theinterior of the casing, a plate valve arranged on the inside of the bodyand adapted to cover the opening, a stem carrying said valve andslidably projecting through said end of the body beyond the outersurface thereof, a spring associated with /said stem for drawing theplate against the inner surface of the end of the body to close theopening, said casing having a threaded opening in axial alignment withsaid stem, and a threaded 3o rod extending through the threaded openingadapted to be screwed into engagement with said stem for moving the sameagainst the action-of the spring to remove the plate from the opening inthe end of the churn body.

3. A butter churn according to claim 2, in which the said valve stem andthe said screw rod are disposed rin axial alignment with the axis of therotating churn body.

WILLIAM HAMILTION MCCORKINDALE. 40-

